Summary of value

Humble Business Development

Over the summer, I volunteered with an NGO specializing in HIV/AIDS treatment and support.  This organization realizes with the advent of Anti-Retro Viral drugs that there woman will regain strength and wish to work again.  Our small team of MBAs and business professionals worked with them to develop an income generation component within their mission.  Within two months we had redefined a core part of their mission and even had orders coming in for a new product we developed.

 

Through this I grew professionally:

·         I gained an understanding of how to achieve a cultural change through the use of mission statements, value statements, and approach statements.

·         I learned how a healthy organization can undertake change rapidly to adapt to the new needs of their clients.  This NGO’s spirit of warmth and kindness serves a bedrock for allowing innovative approaches like ours to work well.

·         I saw the incredible power of a well defined mission that people believe in.  We had partners coming to us in droves and going out of their way to find ways to help our women.

I also grew spiritually:

·         The kindness and humility of these woman living on less than a dollar a day and surviving with HIV somehow passed through them to me.  I find myself chuckling at some things I use to do, like the need to use a Britta filter on perfectly clean tap water.  And, I feel profound gratitude for the opportunity to eat every day, and on top of this to enjoy a variety of foods.

·         This also reinforced my belief in following what feels appropriate for ourselves.  While many of my colleagues went to Wall Street and made big salaries, I spent all the money in my bank account($7,500) for this opportunity without fully understanding the Returns to me.  If I had done an ROI calculation, then I probably would have missed this wonderful opportunity.  Given my personal financial constraints, the support of grants from the Alliance of Students Against Poverty (ASAP) and UNC’s Kenan Institute (KI)  literally made the difference on whether I could do this trip. 

·         I found within myself that I enjoy sharing kindness with people.  This reshaped the way I look at business and who I choose to engage in my opportunities.  Now, as I look out at starting my company I am looking for kind people who instinctively offer those with less opportunity a chance.

Exploring the value

The value from this experience is hard to quantify immediately.  Yet, I feel the whole opportunity profoundly shifted my world perspective.  I found myself wondering after the experience “could I possibly have asked for a more ideal summer internship?”  The planning and people involved were that excellent.

John Post

Many thank you to Nondini for keeping our blog so healthy.   Getting decent internet access is proving an adventure.  I have been sending e-mail to kind folks without even getting to read all the mail they have sent to me.  I do this to let them know I am thinking of them. 

 

Thankfully, my external wireless gadget seems to work on the NGO network, so perhaps access will improve a touch when I am in the appropriate office.

 

We appreciate everyone’s patience with updates and our inability to respond to blog posts (the filters block these).

 

With warmth:

 

-John

 

 

Nondini Post: July 10th

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

So I wonder what not so early to bed, early to rise and sleepy afternoons amount to.

 

Last night we had a nice dinner with Brooke (Brrrroooke- roll the rrrr) one of Liz’s classmates, as well as Salaam a young woman who also went to school with Liz and now works for the Clinton foundation. It was at an Indian restaurant in Bole called Ajanta, and the menu read like a short novel. We ordered dosa’s and different kinds of chicken dishes and ate family style. Although it had been a long day (meeting with JT in the morning to chat over lunch/spending the afternoon at Salem’s) it was nice to be out of the house at night. Usually we try to be indoors by sundown and limit our traveling to the daylight hours. But Addis seemed to pulse with new life last night with the packed streets, and even more packed minibuses. Ryan and John seemed to “blend in” more and there were less calls of “ Eh Firenge, Selamno!” (Hey foreigner, hello). Ryan suggested we become nocturnal, but we weren’t sure that was the best idea.

 

Early morning: By 7AM John and I were out the door on our way to Lideta. He wanted to get some internet time in and set up a few meetings, while I had my first meeting with the Duke Betty, the coordinators (Aleuf, Mehret, and Howie) and their supervisor SIM Betty. Amazingly leaving early meant we had a smooth ride to Lideta with few stops and instead of an hour commute it only took us 30 minutes. By arriving early we found the Lideta office deserted, so Derek, John and I walked across the street for some coffee and tea. We were embroiled in a political discussion (US politics) and the time passed quickly. Then it was time to meet.

 

The meeting went well, as I pitched some small business ideas to them and gauged their level of involvement and interest in the project. We set up weekly meetings and I promised to email them updates and more information about the projects (baby hats, disposable gloves). Looks like we might have some issues getting good quality yarn here, and need to find a good manufacturer and supplier….But despite a couple of obstacles it seems like the team was ready to push forward. Afterwards Betty and I headed out to explore Lideta a bit more and talk about the project.  We walked around Lideta, and then went to Dembol (a huge yellow building on Bole Road) to eat a bit of lunch. Then we all came back to the house to read, prepare and relax until our support group meeting this afternoon in Bole.

 

One of the womens’ support groups that we met with wanted to talk to us again to share their business ideas, and pick our brains a little bit. It’s flattering and a good sign, it’ll be good to hear what they would like our help with. Internet continues to be a problem, but I faithfully write these posts knowing that we’ll “post” them sometime…and that we don’t want to lose a record of our progress.

 

Cultural Note:

More on the minibus…I feel like I could write a novel about the minibus and the culture that surrounds it. So apparently after dark the “middleman” who usually collects the money gets his opportunity to drive, and LEARN how to drive when the roads are less crowded. So consider it real life drivers ed after dark. Since we don’t go out much at night, and usually take private taxis after dusk we didn’t know about this phenomenon. But last night we decided to dole out our 20 cent fare and take a minibus to the Indian restaurant. Wow. Let’s just say it was a short yet adventurous trip down the road. It’s really the first time that I’ve felt a bit nervous on a minibus…and judging from the looks on John and Ryan’s faces they weren’t feeling so confident either.

 

Don’t bother trying to crane your neck to read the speedometer, it doesn’t work in a single minibus. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe it’s better not to know.

 

Nondini Post: July 8th

Forging ahead…

 

We have finished meeting with most of the beneficiary groups and have met with at least 200 people. Carefully recording their demographic information, as well as trying to glean leadership and entrepreneurial qualities has paid off. We have merged our notes with the research that Jonathan gave us, and have put it all into a large excel spreadsheet allowing us to easily query for specific interests and skill sets. Now if we want to know how many people have handicraft skills we can simply pull it up quickly, and by using a 1-5 rating system for entrepreneurial capabilities we will hopefully be able to leave SIM with a comprehensive list of potential business leaders that they can tap into for future projects.

 

Our immediate projects are making headway as well. On Saturday Ryan and I met Salem for the first time. Salem is a truly incredible woman. She sells various handicrafts and is an artist in her own right. Her jewelry is amazing, and her aesthetic sense is classic yet modern. She has worked with many marginalized communities especially with women, and has created a strong business. John has been facilitating talk of a partnership with her, and her openness to the idea was indeed a very positive sign. Exciting opportunities to do the right thing abound…

 

Yesterday we met with (SIM director) Andy, Bev, Teddy and the team to give everyone an update on what we have accomplished and what we are looking to do over the next few weeks. We laid out our 3 pronged approach: 1. Finding an MFI partner to help with future funding of business initiatives, 2. Creating a framework and process for evaluating business ideas 3. Working on immediate business opportunities that can be started with minimal infrastructure and funding. With each member of the team taking the lead on each prong, and pairing up with a “business champion” Brian, JT, Betty and the SIM team we hope that we have what we need to get the wheels in motion and a plan to how to keep things going after we leave. It was an encouraging meeting, efficient, organized and most importantly the SIM team made us feel valued and showed interest in what we had to say. We continue to be grateful for this opportunity to learn and add value.

 

This week we are all headed in different directions, working with our sub-groups and researching and working through different initiatives and ideas. The change of pace is nice, and having flexibility back in our schedule after weeks of important support group meetings  is important as we dig deeper into what we are trying to accomplish.

 

On a random note: Our dietary protein deprivation is beginning to show, I have been dreaming about eating a big juicy hamburger, or a steak. And the possibility for some good Mexican food is never far from my mind. Even our resident vegan John ate some meat on Saturday morning trying to supplement all the nuts and cheese he’s been trying to pack away over the past couple of weeks. Everyone’s pants are getting looser, and we’re not sure if it’s because we’re losing weight or because we don’t have a dryer. Nevertheless thoughts of home aren’t far from our minds since we live, breathe, eat and think work. Since these weeks have flown by we try to think of the sightseeing we’d like to do before we leave, and are trying to make time to fully take advantage of our time here in every sense.

 

Nondini Post: July 5th

It’s flag day in Ethiopia. It’s one of the first flag days they have celebrated in a long time and has something to do with the new government. Anyway you will find flags in the front of different minibuses and hanging off of cars, and to feel in the spirit I paid 5 birr for my Ethiopian flag. Ryan told me to put it away when I tried to wave it as I walked, because NO OTHER ETHIOPIANS were doing anything of the sort. I complied.

 

Nondini Post: July 4th

It’s Independence day, yet there are no barbecues, fireworks or anthems. Ahh yes. We are not home. I just remembered.

 

But it is a religious holiday here. The Medhalen church on telebole is absolutely packed…Everyone is wearing white, and all the women’s heads are covered. They carry signs with pictures of Jesus and beautifully adorned umbrellas covered with sequins and velvet are being sold all over the place. People buy them and cover their heads with these umbrellas while they process inside and outside the church. It looks like an important celebration but we can’t get any more details about what is going on. Mostly because we don’t know how to ask, and wouldn’t understand the answer anyway. The few English speakers we did talk to didn’t seem to be up on the religious events of the day. So we took notice from afar.

 

Nondini Post: July 3rd

So much has happened these past 2 days, and also so little. Ryan got violently ill – I mean sicker than I’ve seen him in years. His normal flu transformed into a serious stomach issue. The stomach flu here seems to be a much angrier cousin than its American counterpart which in comparison is as scary as a little kitten. John and I had quite a scare seeing Ryan so sick. But luckily for us, Dr. John and his wife Jessica came to our rescue, yet again. Phonecalls late into the night were answered, and staving off dehydration became the main goal. John covered our meetings both yesterday and today, and finally Ryan started to recover. After carefully journaling his food consumption and medication regimen improvements started to occur hour by hour. Thanks to crystal light, saltines, Cipro, Imodium and obscene hours of sleep he pulled through. Today he is finally able to walk around, and is getting back to normal. The flu comes and goes in waves, and after a little brush with the stomach bug myself we are all looking forward to this weekend.

 

We finish up meeting with the beneficiary groups this week, and are carefully procuring updates for SIM management. We are aware that we only have one month left here, and there is still much to be done. Although at times it doesn’t feel like it we have been able to nudge our projects forward: gathering resources, researching, and looking at start-up costs.

 

John covered a men’s group meeting today where they needed to resolve a money issue from the previous week. Gracefully stepping aside the men’s group worked through the issue with heated debate, but pulled it together by the end. Overall, seems like a good learning experience if they plan to go into business together. Team dynamics must be worked through, battles carefully chosen, and diplomacy employed. The earlier these lessons are learned the better for the beneficiaries.

 

I’ve been using my camera quite a bit with the beneficiary groups, and surprisingly they are very willing participants. I can’t vouch for the quality of the pictures, but it’s amazing to capture the beautiful faces of the beneficiaries. As soon as I can leave the house I’m going to have prints made and take them to SIM, I think they’ll really like having the photographs.

 

Still no internet access at the house, it’s our 9^th day without it. Since Ryan and I have been homebound for the past couple of days, we have no way to check e-mail or send any out. It’s gotten to be a bit of nuisance.  But once we can actually get connected again, we’ll get back on the radar.

 

We hope that John stays healthy (miraculous considering that the poor guy lives in a Petri dish) and are looking forward to the flexibility that next week will bring.

 

Cultural Note: The ambassador of Ethiopia. As you can imagine there are a lot of street kids here, and many of them will shine your shoes, sell you some tissues or a pack of gum for just a couple of birr. Generally they are convincing salespeople all using different tactics. Some try to look forlorn while others will go on at length about the superior quality of the product they are selling. For example: Gum? Gum? Nice quality gum. Good taste! Gum? Good price for you…. Talk about your self starting entrepreneur. There was one though that we have taken to calling the ambassador. He can’t be more than maybe 8, and he approached Ryan and me about a week and a half ago.

 

Ambassador: Hello.

Us: hello.

A: How are you?

Us: Fine, how are you?

A: Where are you from? (to Ryan) Are you German?

Us: From America.

A: Oh yes. The United States. What state are you from? California?

Us: North Carolina-

Confused silence.

A: Welcome to Ethiopia!

Us: Thank you. You know, your English is very good.

A: Yes. Me go to school. Are you tourist or working man?

Us: Well we are working here.

A: You stay in Ethiopia a long time? Live here?

Us: No we are headed back to the US in a month.

A: Oh a month. Not a long time. 

 

Then with a smile and wave he was off to peddle his gum to more promising customers.

 

Since then we have seen him 3 or 4 times, and still have yet to buy a pack of gum from him. But he greets us with a big smile, a solemn handshake, and inquiries about our stay and our health. What more could you want from a young ambassador?

 

More to follow…

 

Nondini post: July 1st

(This is posted on behalf of Nondini.  We have been without internet at the house for three weeks…)

 

It finally happened. After weeks of meetings with beneficiaries, and entering the lives of over 120 people, I reached my breaking point. I felt a rush of sickening emotion and I honestly thought, I don’t know if I can do this anymore. It’s just too hard. It’s surprising what hits you the hardest. Strangely enough it was my first meeting with a men’s group that put my stomach in knots, and nearly brought tears to my eyes. The men’s group was the last of a long string of highly intense meetings today. Already weary I was looking forward to wrapping up the day.

 

Ryan was sick at home with the flu as was Betty. And JT was dealing with an emergency health situation at Cherokee. It was my first “healthy” work week, so John and I ploughed through.

 

When the men came into the courtyard of the Bole Office I saw 7 gaunt men with protruding cheekbones and wide eyes. They greeted eachother with shoulder bumps and handshakes and sat patiently waiting for the session to start. What I wasn’t prepared for was the honesty and desperation in their voices as they spoke of their history and what they wanted to accomplish. One by one they described losing their wives to AIDS, their shame evident that they had brought this disease into their homes. Their voices went down to a barely audible whisper as they talked about getting tested, and trying to keep their families free of infection. For many of them they had been orphaned by the time they were 11 years old and had come to Addis Ababa to go to school and to seek their fortunes. They had occupations that ranged from working as guards, to police officers, to construction workers. And although physically they looked like shadows of their former selves their fervent desire to build a business and a better life for their families made them larger than life.

 

They pitched their idea to start a construction supply business and talked passionately about the opportunities to make this dream a reality. But they continuously reiterated the fact that they were open to do ANYTHING, anything that we thought might work. Do you know what it’s like to look into the faces of men who are 20 years older than you, who are struggling to survive ask for your help? They were so proud and worthy of such dignity, that I felt completely helpless. What could I say or do in an hour or two hours that could make a real difference?

 

They were grateful for whatever we could offer, some suggestions on how to think about operations, finances and marketing. They hungrily wrote down every word and with each passing moment my sense of responsibility increased to nauseating levels. They were so thankful for what ever knowledge we were able to share, and we encouraged, challenged and underscored the fact that we don’t have any answers. We are happy to discuss ideas, offer different ways to look at problems, and at the same time wary of offering false hope or unrealistic expectations.

 

John, a generous soul, let me take the lead as the session progressed and I realized that my voice sounded much stronger than I felt. They were excited as we pitched a case study to them and listened to their thoughtful and critically mindful questions. The gratitude in the room was overpowering, the humility of both parties tangible. But instead of feeling a sense of elation that I sometimes after an especially productive meeting, I felt awful.

 

Danny who runs the Bole Office translated the session for us and seemed encouraged by the session, and thanked us profusely. He did an incredible job taking our words and conveying genuine care and emotion as he relayed questions and reshaped our comments for the cultural context. For that we are grateful to all of our patient interpreters. We have a dream team among the SIM staff: Mehret who handles each of our sessions with the enthusiasm of the very first, Howie who gently and patiently spells Amharic names for us, and the resilient Aleuf who assertively gathers answers to even our most difficult questions.

 

Four months of preparation for this trip seem like an oxymoron. Nothing could prepare us for the emotional toll of this work, or the intensity of the project. Three weeks into this experience and it’s certainly one of the most grueling assignments I’ve ever had. The incredibly pressure to perform, to make a difference is completely self inflicted and the whole team is staggering from the weight of wanting to do the right thing. We see our stakeholders every day, we see their needs, their desire for any opportunity, and this fuels passionate discussions about the best plan of action late into every night. The flu, stress and exhaustion make us cranky with one another at times, but we stick together knowing that we share one thing: an incredible commitment to help in anyway that we can. Feeling guilty in taking a moment for a movie, or enjoying a peaceful evening by the fire is lessening somewhat as we recognize that we cannot be of any use to anyone unless we preserve ourselves and our health. John continues to push for us take care, and reminds us of the strides we’ve made in a short time. But still we each struggle alone trying to make peace with a world that feels terribly unfair sometimes.

 

With a month left, we are working on the business cases for different initiatives and hitting milestones. Yet, with so much left to do in such a short time, we fight waves of feeling overwhelmed and move steadily forward…. Tomorrow another 4 meetings with beneficiary groups.

 

More to follow…

 

First big meeting with SIM...

This morning the "boys" headed out to the SIM Lideta office to meet with Teddy. The agenda was to meet and greet, and outline our objectives as a team, as well as set up an ongoing structure for updates and meetings. Overall the meeting went well, and we are getting enthusiastic support from SIM to implement our ideas quickly. Teddy clearly communicated the importance of not conducting more research but getting a pilot off the ground quickly, which was our intention as well.   However some aspects of the project have gone quite differently than expected. I was expecting that we'd be hard pressed to find/present good solid business ideas and quickly identifies needs. But actually it's been the opposite. We have lists of ideas (that I have been compiling for further evaluation) and in every informal gathering I have been able to gather more and more ideas. Ideas that actually have legs and are worth investigating.   JT continues to try to stay plugged in with the team, but has a lot on his plate that he is trying to juggle. Once we have regular meetings set it will help with his planning, and we have opened to the door for any other interaction he may be interested in.   Brian has stepped up to be even more involved with the team and we are thrilled to have him on board. His role working with the Mens' support groups has given him some great knowledge about what works and doesn't in this cultural context, and he has been able to successfully pitch a business idea (mail services) to the Kabelleh - the smallest and most critical form of local government here in Addis.   And last but not least "Our Betty" the Duke undergrad, has just arrived in Addis and will start work with us tomorrow!   Looks like things are moving in the right direction as we get our brains around immediate milestones and deliverables and I start to shape a project plan. Ryan and John continue to work hard, investigating partnerships and fleshing out a good framework.   Cultural tidbit: Here in Addis we work with and interact with many Ethiopians who speak English incredibly well. And as is in any place in the world there is a certain soothing accent that accompanies their speech. One such aspect is the enduring and intentional pronunciation of the final vowel of every word. For example, words like worked- are pronounced work-ed. The same goes for schedule-ed, time-ed etc. It's as though they don't want to shortchange the language by dropping or condensing the final syllable, and now it sounds natural to me. So be aware, that once we return home we may be pronouncing old words in new ways :)...

We continue our journey...

Blog Entry 6/22/2008   It continues to thunder ominously most afternoons, and heavy rain showers come down without much warning. Despite the weather, life and work continue on as usual, and power outages have become commonplace.   Still feeling a bit under the weather, I took it easy yesterday only getting out of bed to answer the phone, and get ready for our first Amharic class with Yethesha. A small framed Ethiopian woman with a ready smile, Yethesha has a strong reputation as one of the best Amharic teachers in Addis. She's patient yet firm and encouraging. Class was interesting, we covered the alphabet patiently sounding out each letter in its 7 forms. Tongue-tied with the "explosive" sounds unique to certain languages, we ended our lesson by spelling our names in the fidel which felt like a huge accomplishment. I'm looking forward to our weekly lessons and being able to get past the many greetings (that are critical in this culture) and short commands that make us sound like Neanderthals grunting.   After our lesson, we had Brian and JT over for a meal, our first attempt at "home cooking" here in Addis. Pasta with sauce, mushrooms served with green beans and chunks of bread were on the menu. Within 20 minutes of their arrival in the blistering rain, the lights went out. Luckily we had plenty of candles on hand and Brian kept the music flowing as he played the guitar. Overall, we were able to talk about the latest M. Night movie, JT's favorite rat story, and then after dinner a little bit about work. We bounced around some more ideas, and prepared for some of our upcoming meetings with key stakeholders in the project. At about 9:30, JT and Brian headed out to catch the last of the minibuses or cab their way home.   This morning, I finished my only extra book that our teammate/friend Liz left for me: The Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. It was quite the juxtaposition, reading about the Bengali-American experience while being complete immersed in another world.   Ryan and John went out to the Lime Tree for their famous Sunday brunch, enjoying pancakes, hummus, and a variety of food. I stayed at home drinking tea and watching a documentary called, "Slum Survivors" an IRIN film. It's the story of the urban poor in Kibera, Kenya. But truly it's an international issue given that 1 billion people live in slums worldwide. The scenes were familiar of Bangladesh, and the world outside our door and it addressed issues that we are working with firsthand: HIV infection, poverty, the stigma surrounding different diseases, gender inequality, mass unemployment, and the lack of resources available for the youth.   The rest of the afternoon will be quiet, as everyone either naps, reads and I try to recover. Tomorrow is a big day and on Tuesday we will attend our very first coffee ceremony which will be very exciting I'm sure….   More to follow….

We finally have our internet access back...

It's amazing what having your internet working can do for your mood...   We woke up and it was working...Knowing that we didn't have to trudge through the rain and muck was such a treat! We took full advantage, responding to belated e-mail work requests, sending queued blog posts (case and point) and reaching out to friends and family. Ryan read some articles about MFI's, John finalized our meeting agendas and I organized some of our beneficiary feedback and ideas. Then we headed out to meet and discuss how we were progressing on our objectives.   Sitting together for a short meeting turned into a longer meeting, but was incredibly productive as we discussed the structure of the project going forward as well as our next milestones. We were interrupted twice by cell phone calls, and since there is no voicemail here we had to pick up...It's an interesting world without voicemail. I may need to adopt this as a new way of life once I return to the states :)...JT couldn't join us because he got sick this morning, yikes. We do hope that he feels better soon!   Then we headed out in separate directions, John to meet with a Cherokee partner, and Ryan and I to continue prepping for more beneificiary conversations next week. Then at the end of the day we engaged in a long political discussion with Ato Guiermo the house guard about the upcoming US election and about Ethiopian politics. It was quite refreshing and enlightening to hear his thoughts. A downpour interrupted our conversation and then it was off for an early night. Tomorrow hopefully we'll reconnect with Brian and JT and talk further about ideas, the process as well as our strategy and approach going forward....   Light hearted story: So since it's been a bit rainy John got us started on a new fashion fad, we roll up our pants (actually "peg" them- how '80's) to save them from having to be washed every day. We look absolutely ridiculous with our exposed ankles, but in the name of efficiency have pushed vanity aside. The problem? Ethiopians have mastered the art of NOT looking ridiculous while keeping their pant hems PRISTINE. After a rain storm we look like a trio of drowned rats wearing floods and everyone else looks dry and as put together as ever. Their secret remains elusive. Ah well...I'm sure they are laughing the the other 100 strange things we do and probably don't even notice the pants.   More to follow....

Thank you

We wish to send a thank you out to all our friends sharing support with us while on this venture. Some offer some warm words, others quietly ensure our financial picture remains stable. The warmth is like a blanket extending kindness through us to share with our friends with humble income who are surviving HIV here in Addis Ababa.

Thank you all for this:

-John

Link to CEFE framework

Here is a framework we are considering for our business incubation idea:

 

http://www.cefe.net/

 

Seems to focus quite nicely in the area we are sharing value.

 

With warmth:

 

-John

First Full Week...

Internet access and power has been spotty, yet it doesn't have the same paralyzing effect as in Durham. Here, not having power just means that you open your blinds more, and keep the refrigerator door closed.   On Monday we went to the Lideta office for the first time, it was quite the adventure. Under the bridge near the airport we go to a large cluster of minibuses, each minibus has a driver, and a "middleman". He's the guy that stands literally in the middle of the 15 seat "bus" and yells where the minibus is going through the window. We have to listen carefully for the Mexico City route and hop in. Ryan and John contort their bodies to fit in the bus, unless they get a front seat with the driver. People are incredibly helpful and once they see your foreign face they will try to help you find the bus that you need. Once you load into the bus you guesstimate what you need to pay, usually a 1 and a half birr (15 cents). Then when you see the sports stadium (another major stop) you say "warach alle" and the bus stops. Now you leap from the bus, and find another bus that is going to the marcado, and you tell them you want to get off at immigration, or the Black Lion. This is usually the harder leg of the journey because most drivers don't know where immigration is so you have stay hypervigilent until you see your stop. Then you walk about 15 minutes to the office and you have arrived! This journey can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, but you just plenty of time for travel and leave the house early. At first the minibuses used to make me nervous, all the yelling, the looking for your stop (which are all landmarks) and all the people. But considering that private taxis are 10 times as much, and everyone takes the minibus, it's gotten to be pretty fun.   So on Monday we finalized our schedule to meet with the groups, and ended up on an hour and half walk to find some food. Beware of maps that are NOT to scale. On tuesday, desperate for the internet we went to the Sheraton for a meal and a precious hour on the computer. The Sheraton is jarring. It's absolutely decadent and enormous, and I didn't feel like we were in Ethiopia anymore, or the US, it felt like we were in some incredibly castle far away from the rest of the world. I'd have to say that being there made me feel more uncomfortable than on a minibus next to a guy with a hacking cough. But the food was great and Ryan was in heaven. We had some healthy discussion about how we would approach the beneficiary meetings the next day, but ultimately came to a resolution. We got on the internet and sent the most urgent messages out, and I felt like I was going to have an ulcer from trying to cram 4 emails into my 25 minutes. We cabbed it home and slept like babies.   Yesterday was the big day. We met with 4 support groups, all female, and tried to elicit their business ideas, their struggles and obstacles and over and over we heard similar themes. The HIV/AIDS stigma is one that is not unique to just this part of the world, but it was incredible to hear that in some ways the stigma and the social isolation that goes with it was more crippling than the disease itself. Gossip was the number one culprit, nasty comments to the beneficiaries children, exclusion from social events (especially those related to food), and the burden that comes with bearing a secret shame. Some husbands had passed away, some had rejected their wives and left, and some stood by as they jointly worried about their future and their children. Many of these enterprising women talked about wanting to open small shops, or increase their inventory, and were improving their skills in various trades and vocations. Their questions were illuminating as they politely eyed us carefully, and we offered suggestions, trying to glean the leaders from each group. The day was productive but exhausting, facilitating, probing, listening actively for 4 groups in one day doesn't leave one much time to process. That's really what today and tomorrow are for.   We will work out a structure, make changes to the types of questions we are asking, as well as look at costs for different business ideas including small scale manufacturing, identifying product and service needs as well as other types of opportunities. We have outlined our high level objectives, and have each gravitated toward one that we will be the lead on. Ryan is taking the initiative to find an MFI partner for the SIM groups, I will be evaluating current business ideas that we, SIM and the beneficiaries have generated, and John will be diving into the formal process and business education piece for beneficiaries. We will ofcourse continue to work as a team, and reach out to our many helpful partners.   Will try to post more soon...

Weekend 1...

We are wrapping up our first weekend in Addis. On Saturday, we started our day later than planned and went to the Lime Tree. John met with his Amharic tutor, and the rest of the team ate and happily people watched. We talked to John's tutor and set up weekly lessons starting next weekend. Afterwards John bravely explored the city looking for a SIM card for our communal cell phone, and bought necessities like bread, eggs, and pasta. We went over to Martha's house where we met people from all over the world doing various things here in Addis. There was a woman who worked exclusively with an orphanage and helped make Ethiopian adoptions possible, while others worked in various development capacities with HIV infected communities, agricultural initiatives, and woman centered projects. We made some connections so that we could distribute the clothes, educational toys, and books that we brought with us from the states. We hope to do so next week. We spent the rest of the evening at home figuring out how to use the stove (it involves holding down the knob while lighting a match and NOT burning your eyebrows off), and learning new Amharic words.   This morning we started the day by feeding our turtle, (Aylee), bits of green apple, and she ate it all like a champ. Positioning her arms strategically she shoved large pieces into her small mouth. After that excitement we ate a traditional Ethiopian meal at a beautiful place called Hiber on Bole. John and Ryan loved the spicy lentil dishes (missir), and the lamb was amazing. After filling up on injera, spinach, cheese, and lentils we found some internet access and set down to work. We had a productive meeting about the project, and started to put our thoughts on paper.   We created a high level list of project initiatives including various facets of our work: 1. Identify projects and beneficiaries with high business potential, 2. Create/pull together a process for beneficiaries to evaluate and plan their businesses that SIM can easily manage, 3. Build partnerships with an MFI to provide funding for the SIM incubator we hope to create. After talking through the overall process and mapping out our deliverables for the next two weeks, we started to digest all that we had discussed. Our heads buzzing over building a continuity plan for the project and creating opportunities for buy in early on, we took the rest of the day off. Don't worry, it's Sunday.   Ryan went and enjoyed 5 hours of "ferengie"* bowling complete with a caving roof, human pin setters, and scary rented shoes, while John and Nondini headed home to read, quiz Ato Guierma (the house guard) about Amharic words and phrases, watch a movie and eat a nice bowl of cereal for dinner. Here's an excerpt from a Nondini/John conversation:   J: Why is everything in the 6th form? It's the hardest to pronounce… N: They must have done it on purpose. J: Yeah, those buggers.   After discussing various sounds and "forms" until we had lost all sense of what we were talking about- we retired to bed. Another full day tomorrow, we hope to head out to Lideta bright and early and finalize our schedule to meet with all the support groups. Exciting stuff!   Hope to get internet access tomorrow…but at least we have power…   * Ferengie in Amharic means foreigner. It's not a derogatory word, just a bit broad. You'll find that "ferengies" give each other a little nod when passing on the street, and don't be surprised if you find yourself immersed in a 4 hour conversation with a random stranger about some interesting project or recent trip. Yes, clumps of ferengie can be seen walking together, but you'd be amazed at their command of the language and culture, as well as the path that has brought them/us here.

The work begins...

Day 2: At 8AM we were out of the house walking confidently towards the SIM office in Bole. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we got to discover a new street- Tele Bole. We passed an amazingly beautiful and enormous church, and most everyone else was quickly making their way to work or school.   We met with Brian (the director of the men's support groups) and were warmly greeted by the entire SIM Bole staff. Then we began the first of our 4 home visits of the morning. We met a delicately featured 26 year old woman, her tiny home was immaculate and clean and she smiled shyly when she saw us. We sat with her and learned that she had contracted the virus from her husband over 3 years ago, and was the mother to two children a boy and a girl. Her son lives with her sister in the countryside, and her daughter passed away. Her courage and her honesty was incredibly moving, and she bit her lip as she told us that her son loved school but was no longer able to continue his education because she could not afford his school fees. She misses him terribly but cannot bring him to Addis for she doesn't feel that she could provide for him. Her family and friends are all unaware of her status due to the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS, but she is feeling healthy and well thanks to the treatment that she is receiving.   We met with a smiling entrepreneurial woman in her mid-40's who had moved from the countryside to Addis Ababa once she fell ill. She once ran a successful restaurant employing one cook and a waitress, she expressed to us how sad she was to leave her business after 3 years of success but couldn't keep up with it any longer. She spoke of her parents, (her mother is still alive and in contact with her) but grew reticent once she spoke of her children. She has no contact with them at this time.   We talked to handsome couple 12 years apart in age and very well matched. They told us of their beautiful nine year old daughter and the toll that the virus has taken on their lives. Due to their declining health (the wife is 30, the husband 42) they are no longer able to work in their labor intensive jobs washing clothes and doing construction. Their voices were hushed as they explained that their neighbors, and families are unaware of their status, and spoke sadly of the friends that they confided in and then lost due to their status.   The social stigma attached to HIV and AIDS kept coming up, and the isolation of those who are struggling with the disease was apparent. They were pleased to have guests, to have their support groups, and to know that someone from SIM would come to see them and even attend their funerals. It was an intense experience traveling from home to home... Along the way we met with others, a skilled broker and electrician who spoke of the pain of finding out that he was positive when his pregnant wife went for a checkup and was subject to mandatory testing. He spoke of the shame of "being a man who has brought this black cloud onto his family", he spoke of his wife tenderly saying that she "was his strength, and his courage". He thanks God that none of his children are positive and his healthy beautiful 2 year old ran into the house to gawk at us many times. His quiet strength was incredible.   Needless to say, we had a lot to digest. We went to lunch with Brian and got a crash course in cultural norms and key phrases which we discussed over our first Ethiopian meal here. We were grateful for the company, the knowledge and the feeling of shared purpose and community.   We went home to change quickly, shower and head out to our afternoon meeting with a prospective partner. We are looking at working on a clean water initiative which is especially vital for those who are immuno-compromised. I think we have an incredible opportunity to help broker a mutually beneficial agreement that would allow beneficiaries to add to their income as well as increase opportunities to purify and conserve water in this region. More to follow on this...   After our important and exciting meetings, we headed to dinner where we met another fellow traveler and the conversation quickly turned to American politics and world affairs. 3 hours later we left for home and settled in for the night where we practiced amharic phrases and looked up new words in the dictionary. You'd be amazed at how small words like "stop here" are key when riding in a minibus with 30 other people.   Slowly but surely we're getting a sense of where we are going -as we walk more than we have in months...encouraged and cautiously optimistic we move forward with our plans for the project.   All for now... Day 1: Instead of feeling tired once we arrive we are ecstatic and full of energy! After seeing our new beautiful home, with a gorgeous garden complete with a "pet" turtle we head out to explore Bole. We walk through the winding street of our neighborhood, and continue on trying to memorize landmarks. The traffic whizzes by and nervously we cross streets, but the city feels alive with all the sounds of hawkers, and people living their lives. Sure enough we find all the necessary places, the ATM, a couple of different grocery stores, and an internet cafe but everything is fascinating. There is so much to see and take in, and I'm filled with the overwhelming desire to blend into the landscape and experience everything, but our presence as outsiders is pretty obvious. Must continue to learn more amharic words. While at a local Expat hangout that I want to call Lime something (but have obviously botched the name) we see our friend JT! A familiar face from RTP and it's as though it's perfectly normal to see one another here.     The project team catches up on what we've missed, and start to discuss ideas and partnerships that look very promising. Tomorrow we have a full day of visits with beneficiaries and meetings about a new initiative, and are enthusiastically ready to start working.   Braced for the rain we head out to have dinner with two wonderful women Martha and Marion and enjoy a Korean meal as our first night out. They share wonderful insight about Addis, how they have come to love this place and make it their home. They talk about the difficulties of transitioning back to the US and what brought them back to Ethiopia. It's a great perspective to have, and their love for this culture, the people here, and their lives here is obvious. We wrap up dinner laughing, promising to see eachother again and John continues to outshine us with his strides towards learning Amharic. He has set the bar high.   Tomorrow is a new day...can't wait.

The team arrives in Addis Ababa...

Day 1: Instead of feeling tired once we arrive we are ecstatic and full of energy! After seeing our new beautiful home, with a gorgeous garden complete with a "pet" turtle we head out to explore Bole. We walk through the winding street of our neighborhood, and continue on trying to memorize landmarks. The traffic whizzes by and nervously we cross streets, but the city feels alive with all the sounds of hawkers, and people living their lives. Sure enough we find all the necessary places, the ATM, a couple of different grocery stores, and an internet cafe but everything is fascinating. There is so much to see and take in, and I'm filled with the overwhelming desire to blend into the landscape and experience everything, but our presence as outsiders is pretty obvious. Must continue to learn more amharic words. While at a local Expat hangout that I want to call Lime something (but have obviously botched the name) we see our friend JT! A familiar face from RTP and it's as though it's perfectly normal to see one another here.     The project team catches up on what we've missed, and start to discuss ideas and partnerships that look very promising. Tomorrow we have a full day of visits with beneficiaries and meetings about a new initiative, and are enthusiastically ready to start working.   Braced for the rain we head out to have dinner with two wonderful women Martha and Marion and enjoy a Korean meal as our first night out. They share wonderful insight about Addis, how they have come to love this place and make it their home. They talk about the difficulties of transitioning back to the US and what brought them back to Ethiopia. It's a great perspective to have, and their love for this culture, the people here, and their lives here is obvious. We wrap up dinner laughing, promising to see eachother again and John continues to outshine us with his strides towards learning Amharic. He has set the bar high.   Tomorrow is a new day...can't wait.

In Dubai...

Good to hear that John is helping out the economy in Addis...we have meanwhile made it to Dubai. The 12 hour flight was not too bad, and we did find a nice hotel 2 minutes from the airport to rest until our flight to Addis tomorrow. I can't wait.

Since our layover was over 24 hours, we had to claim our bags and will have to recheck in again tomorrow morning. Lucky for us we've had plenty of practice! None of the bags have been lost, we've been treated with incredible hospitality, and I've caught on watching more movies in the last day than I have seen in the last 6 months.

The final leg of our journey is only 4 hours, and then we will have arrived!

Signing off for now...
nn and rm

Funny Money

Well – Someone passed off a bad 100 Birr note (~$10) on me.  I think it was in a taxi when I gave the driver a 100 Birr and then he said he didn’t have change.  I didn’t check what he passed back, and it turns out that old money here is not valid, so it might as well be counterfeit.

 

I chuckled and chalked this up to another interesting experience.  For some reason I keep imagining Yogi Bear saying “That’s one bad birr.”  J

 

With a smile:

 

-JYE

Nondini and Ryan travel...slowly but surely.

As all good journeys go, the will and strength of the traveler is tested early on :)...and we haven't even left East coast.

The flight from Portland, Maine to NYC to is a mere 50 minutes, yesterday after 6 hours on the runway in Portland our flight was eventually cancelled due to weather in NYC. Even in the midst of chaos and frustration, there were some beautiful moments. One of the women from Jetblue went above and beyond to book us on the next flight that left at midnight, and ran around to find and hand check our bags. Amazingly 4 suitcases arrived in JFK safe and sound. Nevertheless we missed our flight from NYC to Dubai.

After arriving at 2AM we "slept" at the ticket counter and called Emirates trying to reschedule our flights. After 7 phonecalls and reports that we'd not be able to leave NYC for 4 days, I felt terrible. Luckily the ticket agent confirmed us for a flight tomorrow, and I was so happy I thought I'd do a dance in JFK. We'll be arriving in Addis 2 days later than anticipated but it will be so exciting to get on our way!

After happily resting, bathing, and eating at the Holiday Inn express feeling incredibly appreciative of the comfortable bed, free internet access, free breakfast and nice shower. The photographs of Addis, and the smiling faces of Liz and John have only made me feel better, and after a nice chat with Liz on the phone I'm feeling great.

What a wonderful team we have!

Stories from Addis Ababa

After some productive and touching meetings, Liz left yesterday. I am sad she is gone. I look forward to receiving Nondini and Ryan. There is still plenty of opportunities for preparing and meeting more nice people. I am including below some descriptions of the humble people we were fortunate enough to meet with.

Perhaps through collaboration with them and the kind people at Serving in Mission (SIM), we shall offer some value here.

With warmth:

-John

PS – We share only one initial for the first names to protect privacy.

--- Begin touching stories ---

A.

A. lives in a small home the size of a walk-in closet, with a tin roof, and scraps of plastic tile laid on a dirt floor. She has three grandsons from her daughter. Her daughter passed away from AIDS in her home. This saddens her so much, that she avoids staying in the house other than at night to sleep. She and her grandson cried while sharing about the loss of her daughter with us. To our eyes she looks fairly thin and tired.

While waiting to join a support group, A. now receives support from the government, her relatives and a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called Serving-In-Mission to help raise her grandchildren. She brightened while discussing her grandson’s interest in soccer.

T.

T. is a young woman with one son and no husband. She was very sick for a long time, and with Anti-Retro-Viral (ARVs) she feels much better. Her house was a small walk-in closet, perhaps the size of a normal toilet stall in an American restroom. She lives next to a public restroom, so the smell of urine perforates her home. The strong smell something that brings her sadness.

Aside from the strong smell, her neighborhood felt warm and she said everyone treats her with kindness. She smiled warmly while discussing her seven year old son and seemed to enjoy fiddling with the volume on her radio as we spoke -- so much light in her deep brown eyes, as she spoke.

B.

B. lives in a large room, by comparison with others. Her home is sponsored by the government and she pays a fraction of the cost others with humble income must pay. The wait to gain such quarters is long, and the roof leaks in the rain. Along with the rain, the government keeps saying they will move her to another home. B. displays a wise and socially astute personality. She smiles and looks deep into our eyes when speaking. And has a knack for bringing laughter to the room. On her forehead, above her eyes she displays a large scare from some harsh rash, perhaps shingles that she had prior to receiving Anti-Retro-Virals. Unlike some, she carries the mark of this opportunistic disease associated with HIV. She believes her husband got the disease from sharing fingernail clippers with someone else who was positive. (Clearly he must have gotten HIV from some other means).

During the rainy season her roof leaks and her husband died due to AIDS. The extra money allowed by living in government housing seems to help B. with some basic amenities. She has a phone, and even a small TV. She talks proudly of her smart grandson who likes to take things apart and fix them.

A.

A. has a beautiful one year old baby girl, who smiles warmly at everyone who passes. She lives in another closet size room that she rents for a sizeable sum among this population (150 birr). She cannot afford furniture, so she borrows some from friends. When she was very sick with HIV/AIDS she had to give her ten year old son to her sister to care for. Now she is trying to get government sponsorship to bring her son back to live with her. She is ashamed that she is not married, and hides her HIV positive status from her neighbors to avoid stigmatism.

Like her daughter, A. emanates a certain peace naturally, and sitting in her home with packing foam for insulation, a sense of tranquil trickles outward.

 

Pictures

Posted some pictures from Africa so far…

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/johngeder/Africa

 

With warmth:

 

-John

 

The structure starts to take shape...

Now that our logistical needs have been covered as far as housing goes, our project work begins...

Liz met with Andy's organization and talked with Teddy who was incredibly excited for us to arrive and start working...This is not something that we take for granted knowing that many NGO's run by Ethiopians are resistant to volunteers and would prefer money and resources. We are excited and grateful for this opportunity to work with our new partners.

The SIM (Serving in Mission) Team consists of 3 or 4 people (Betty, Ailer, and Hawi) but we will be working extensively with Meredith, an Addis Ababa University grad who already has 8 months of experience with the project. She is a staff member who has worked extensively with the support groups. In addition, we hope to engage her in every step of the process so she can continue our empowerment initiative after we have left. With her cultural knowledge, interest, and experience with the support groups we are excited to have her as part of our team.

Brian, is an American who has 3 months on the ground already and is now in charge of the male support groups. He is excited to help with the project because he sees the interest in harnessing these support groups into entrepreneurship incubators. Currently many of the groups are selling coffee but the supply is greater than the demand, so they rotate selling days. In addition, we will be working with 2 groups (one in Bole and one in Lideta) so we can compare some of the data and findings. Each group has already started a joint savings venture but the amounts vary greatly and historically have been used to front medical expenses, funeral services etc.

Next week is busy for Liz and John as they visit several homes, and one support group. Hopefully John will be able to make contact with some MFI's and NGO's that already provide business training, so that we can leverage their expertise to educate the beneficiaries and staff.

Once the team is all together, we'll be diving in with 4 support group visits/day to help assess which groups have the greatest potential and greatest desire to take part in a small business pilot. We still need to talk about how and if we are going to split up the team to not be single threaded in our efforts...but that remains unresolved until the team is all together.

Apparently rain is in the forecast so we have been encouraged to bring good rain gear...some extra flash drives...and as much energy as possible! I'm anxious to get going and get starte knowing that we will not be the same people once we return from this intensive, emotional, and intellectually challenging project. We are the ones who will set the course for this initiative, we will create the structure, map out deliverables, and try to make a difference. It's an important yet daunting task....

The Team finds a home away from home...

As promised our friend Liz has secured housing and a cell phone for us while in Addis Ababa...And from the description of our new home it's more beautiful and more than we could have imagined. Upon Liz's arrival and through friends of friends we are renting from a woman who works for the UN and is leaving for the summer. It's 5 minutes from public taxi access, and quick 20 minute walk to the commercial area of Bole. With 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, a garden, and a nice big hangout area- it sounds absolutely perfect. It's just good to know that we will have a wonderful home base...Liz, you never disappoint!!

In addition to finding fantastic housing, Liz has been busy. She's managed to meet up with some friends at Cherokee, an old friend from college, one of Elena's friends, and even made it to an ex-pat party. Judging from her e-mail typed at probably 700 words/minute punctuated with exclamation points and vague references to not being able to sleep due to her excitement- our friend Liz is outdoing herself :)... She's also collected some key pieces of information: Bring shower curtains, towels and a hairdryer.

John has arrived despite a long journey and with half the team safely getting settled I am counting down the days until I will join them. We'll miss Liz, because she'll be back in Durham just as we leave, but maybe we'll cross paths in the air!

The other half of the team prepares...This weekend we went to DC and at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art and amidst the extensive Tishman/Walt Disney Collection gathered some ideas of what types of handicrafts sell in the US, in addition we saw Kenyan coffee beans packaged with hopeful stories of the growers printed on the bags and the hamsters on the wheel started working overtime...Picked up a new book called 28 stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen, at only67 pages in it's already hearbreaking and powerful.

More updates to follow...

Feet down in Cairo

Well,

After many hours in transit, a lost bag, broken laptop screen and my first experience in a British style capsule hotel, I am here in Africa :-).

I went through a big long breath when I finally arrived, wondering what I am doing again and feeling very alone. Sometimes a hug from someone safe is valuable beyond symbols. Thank you to all those who offer me so much warmth and helped prepare me for this. The journey here felt like an Odessey and I have this deep feeling the Odessey is just beginning.

With love:

-John


PS - I took an expensive taxi trip to Kenan-Flagler during my layover in Raleigh and picked up my IBM laptop. Strangely I care less now that I am taking such an expensive laptop. My commitment level has continued to rise. Perhaps being surrounded by all these kind people is part of this change.

PSS - Thankfully they brought my bag to my hotel door early in the morning a few days later. They were very good - insisting on delivering the bag directly to me; asked me to inspect the bag; and, then had me sign for the goods. I relished in a shave and clean clothes. Next time I shall pack a few bare essentials into my carry-on to avoid looking like a scraggily American.

Liz touches down...

Great news! The Liz has landed...one small step for the team, one giant leap for...well nevermind.

To no one's surprise Liz's first e-mail is enthusiastic and hopeful. Her tireless spirit is inspiring, and yet a little scary- 6AM walks? Contacts made on the airplane? Lunch with someone from Selam Village? A tour for potential housing? ALL ON DAY 1. We wish lots of luck to our Cherokee friends who have to keep up with her.
I think we are going to have to sprint off the airplane just to keep up her pace.

In other news John is responding to a long list of e-mails and weighing in on our initial approach in Addis...he's in Wisconsin with family and will stop in Cairo prior to heading to Ethiopia. We have decided to stay together as a team in the beginning before we split up to work with the beneficiaries. John is fine with not getting a translator until we arrive and will brave public transportation and life in Addis on his own. We hope his inner compass will guide him to an internet cafe so he can let us know that he has arrived safely. I suspect that he too will make friends on the airplane as one of the VERY FEW non-Ethiopians traveling to Addis Ababa.

Anxiously we weigh items and pack...I've managed to "hustle" a suitcase full of donated kids clothing, sporting equipment, and school supplies for any visits with AIDS orphans. TROSA has given me the pick of their warehouse for anything that I may need. In addition after scouring the internet I found books of North Carolina Postcards that might be good host/hostess gifts but it's hard to know what to take. To further complicate matters we are running up against stubborn airlines that are enforcing new luggage restrictions starting 6/1, just 7 days before we leave. I hope we can carry the supplies that Andy Warren asked us to, the gifts that we wanted to bring, and a couple of bare necessities.

With Liz already there, and so excited to be back, I can't wait to get there myself.

Never say goodbye....

It was a bittersweet day... the team convened at the NN/RGM home to watch "A walk to beautiful" a NOVA special that aired last night about a fistula hospital in Addis. We sat on the floor drawn into the story, quietly sniffling, and sipping our apricot smoothies. Afterwards in usual team style, we talked about the documentary, our thoughts on global warming, over population and the idea of "First World" vs "Third World". Needless to say if you could harness the energy in the room, we may not have to worry about going to war over oil. Our fearless Chief Tactical Officer Liz jetted out to attend a baby shower while the rest of us sat around researching, relaxing and testing out what it might be like sharing the same space in Addis Ababa as roommates.

Liz jetted back as quickly as she left and we headed out to dinner, cheap but satisfying Mexican food seemed most fitting. We talked about singing karaoke, John's many musical talents, and Ryan's desire to learn to play the harmonica. John stated that playing the harmonica was boring while Liz helpfully added that she had just witnessed a friends 2 year old mastering the instrument, and so it shouldn't be that hard for Ryan to pick up. :)

As always eventually the conversation headed back towards the project. We shared our excitement and fears about the upcoming trip to Addis Ababa, and discussed immunizations and other logistics. Overall the mood was upbeat but with an undercurrent of anxiety. How are we going to make a difference? How is life going to be there? Have we learned enough? Have we prepared enough? Are we going to be ready to grasp whatever opportunities come our way? The questions raced through the air, and yet we all knew that everything is as it should be. We are going with our skill sets intact, our minds open and a true desire to help. Maybe that's all we need.

And so the reality is this...John leaves on Saturday, Liz leaves next wednesday and we leave a week later. This will be the last time that the four of us meet before our Ethiopian journey begins. We hug eachother, knowing that it's not really goodbye, but feeling like in some ways it is. We are a rag tag group, from different towns, educations and upbringings, all united through random chance and a sense of purpose. Through our last 3 months of meetings, dozens of e-mails, and even this blog we have become friends, teammates and an odd little family. It's time for the next phase. Liz will stay in Durham as our remote teammate (and gentle compass), and we will be forging ahead. It's sad. It's exciting. It's scary. And we are finally ready....

Beneficiary Snapshot:

YM (We use initials to protect identities) has worked as an electrician, plumber, and carpenter (welding). Currently he’s working as a plumber. Y’s monthly income fluctuates throughout the year. It could be as much as $5 on a given day or $10 to $20/month. He currently has a bank account, but withdrew everything, but $0.01. Y has a family of seven and their monthly expenses, excluding food and shelter, average out to be about $30. Y spends whatever he has available and is not able to save. When he does not have enough money for his family he takes a loan to cover their expenses.

Y is interested in owning his own business some day. He claims to be good at welding and would like to have a welding business. A welding machine costs about $130, which he has. But he does not have other equipment needed for a welding business. Y estimates that a total startup cost for his business would be about $500. He believes that there is a large demand for such a business, but coming up with startup capital is a big problem. For example, he expects that he can charge about $60 birr just to fix a door so the loan could be repaid rather quickly. On a typical week, he believes his sales could range between $100 to $200, but there are a lot of expenses. Y estimates that the loan of $500 could be paid back within three to four months if his projections are correct. When asked if he has looked for loan opportunities, he replied that he has not because he heard from others that the loaning system is not good (repayment begins immediately). Y has done welding for a long time and is willing to train others to work with him.



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We share these stories to show some of the opportunities with beneficiaries.

Conflict Resolution: A field trip to Kenan Flagler

On Saturday after a nice lunch in Chapel Hill we made our way to the very brick (yet very beautiful) Kenan Flagler School of Business. Unlike Fuqua it felt small and intimate and we found a nice room to settle in for our 3 hour class on conflict resolution. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but with an open mind and a commitment to making this project as successful as possible we navigated a new kind of terrain, the emotional.

Our teacher was Kevin, a friend of John's, another Kenan Flagler student and an incredibly calm and peaceful person. With his wife almost in labor, he took time out of his busy weekend to meet with us. For this we are grateful.

We talked about our natural responses to conflict in the past, in the present and what we'd like to be able to do in the future. It was time to think hard. Was I aggressive? passive? scared of conflict? Were my first reactions angry outbursts or a complete shut down? We charted our tendencies on the board and realized that whatever our natural instincts were, we all had the same goal- to handle conflict in a productive way.

Kevin shared an experience with us, where his team in Africa under extreme stress and pressure had a complete communication breakdown. As a result, tensions rose, misunderstandings multiplied, and the project was not as successful as it could it have been.

Among our project plans, reports, spreadsheets, and research we had overlooked one of the greatest threats to a successful project: the team dynamic. Not the once a week meeting with hugs and kisses to go around, but the dynamic on the ground, exhausted, and uncertain.

We discussed how to apologize, how to approach one another during a conflicted time, and ways that we could communicate effectively with one another without "stuffing emotions". Then we practiced. We looked eachother in the eye and apologized, maybe it was an apology to another person, but we gingerly walked through the steps amazed at the power of small words. We shared stories trying to bridge our histories, and learned more about one another.

The hours flew by, and exhausted and bleary eyed with information overload we dispersed feeling like we were about to change in a deep and meaningful way. I think we have just scratched the surface...

Staying Healthy.

Nothing like a routine visit to a travel clinic to scare the daylights out of you... It's enough to make you want to stay home and under the covers for the rest of eternity.

But we are not so easily deterred even with long descriptions of bugs that tunnel and reproduce in your liver...

Here are some of the medical tips we were given...

1. Get some of the Hep. B shots anyway. I think they said the first one helps 70% by itself.

2. Cipro is very good for traveler’s diarrhea and they felt we were guaranteed to get this. This is available by prescription only.

3. They recommend bug repellant with Deet over 30%. This reduces the effectiveness of sunscreen by 1/3, so they recommend broadband, high SPF sunscreen.

4. Stay out of all water, even wading. Some nasty bugs go through the skin and can stay dormant for awhile in our bodies.

5. Malarone is good stuff for anti-malarial drugs. This is the newest drug and comes with few, if any side affects. This one also will kill the bugs in your liver, whereas others must wait for the bugs to get out of the liver into the blood stream.

6. Bring a sterile syringe, hospitals often re-use syringes in other countries. Get a doctor to write a note, so they let this through the checkpoints.

7. The oral Thyphoid is cheaper and lasts longer, but must be completed 10 days prior to your visit. Take this over a one week period.

8. Permathrin is good stuff for spraying on clothes to keep the bugs off. They sold some under the label “Sawyer Premium – Insect repellent clothing.”

Our last gathering will be on May 14th to screen the recording of the NOVA program: Walk to Beautiful. It's a documentary about women as they receive treatment for fistulas, and gain their dignity and lives back.

With open minds we count down- in less than 3 weeks some members of the team will be boarding flights and starting their journey. We are excited, nervous, and absolutely as ready as we are going to be...

John Arrives!

Since John arrived, it has been very wonderful and also very busy! We have had many terrific conversations and adventures.

Liz was SO thrilled to see John when he walked off the plane -- she has met many friendly people during her stay in Addis, but there is no replacement for an old friend and teammate. And, a good long hug is always rejuvinating!

After leaving the airport around noon on Saturday, Liz and John enjoyed a lunch and then Marion, Liz's host, took them shopping for souvenirs (since it was Liz's last weekend day). This allowed the team to see the marketplace and the dynamics of negotiation. Thankfully Marion, a fluent Amharic speaker, was with them and they didn't pay the firenje price! John also seems to be honing his negotiation skills, as he later purchased an umbrella for half the asking price, on a rainy day nonetheless!

On Sunday Liz and John went to M's house where the team will be living and they received a very thorough orientation. They also enjoyed some great conversation about work, life in Addis, NGOs and politics. M is a very wise women and also generous to share her lovely home! That evening, Liz and John went to dinner at Cherokee house and it was great to connect with the volunteers there and to reconnect with JT. John initiated a thoughtful discussion about an impressionable moment in Addis -- so we were fortunate to hear and share initial stories from recently arrived volunteers.

On Monday, Liz and John woke early and moved to M's house before visiting Selam Technical College, along with Amon and JT. This was an inspiring outing, as we saw training in action and learned about the school's products, including various types of agricultural machines (grain threshers, etc.) and water pumps. It was also a "hands on" experience as the group was able to observe the foundry and also test out the functionality of each pump. Afterwards, the team visited the associated orphanage and school, which also contains a garden and restaurant on the premises. We had a delightful meal and then Liz and John took Habtamu, a wise taxi driver and guide, out for a coffee as a gesture of appreciation. In the evening, Liz organized a dinner for several of the friends and helpers who have made her stay so wonderful. Tomorrow Liz and John will have an orientation with SIM; they will talk further with the staff and meet some of the beneficiaries.

Ethiopian Dinner with Cherokee Gives Back

This evening our team met with three wonderful individuals from Cherokee Gives Back (CGB), the organization that initially introduced Liz to the AIDS Care and Treatment Project in Addis Ababa (see February post, “Project Inspiration,” for more details).

Lyston Peebles, Sam Whitt, and Amy Vercler treated us to a special evening of inspirational stories, useful insights, and Ethiopian fare, at Abyssinia restaurant in Raleigh. We learned about CGB’s work in Addis Ababa and elsewhere in Ethiopia. Sam related CGB’s “dual mission” – providing transformative experiences for American volunteers and having a lasting impact in Ethiopia by assisting with job creation. Lyston described the operation of Cherokee’s House in Addis and the growing number of volunteers it accommodates. He also shared with us the types of volunteer placements that Cherokee facilitates, including opportunities in schools, orphanages, and health clinics. Amy spoke with us about her work with global orphan care and the partnerships she’s developing in Ethiopia.

We chatted over injera and enjoyed viewing Sam’s photos from a recent trip to Addis. It was particularly exciting to learn about and see images of the businesses and microfinance institutions that CGB has been working with in recent months. In addition to the relationships and the camaraderie forged over dinner, we will take to heart the advice shared by Sam, Lyston, and Amy -- to remember that we are guests in another country, that we have everything to learn, and that we are likely to gain much more than we can give.

We are very appreciative of CGB’s support for our work!

Beneficiary Snapshot:

SS (Just initials to protect her identity) likes to make crafts, hand-woven products (impressive quality – had the yellow doily). She used to sell cooking utensils. She was successful at last, but she didn’t have the designated place for her selling; at one point the police came and stole her belongings from the street and that was it. She makes ~$15 a month; however it greatly fluctuates; during the winters she has no customer but during the summer/ rainy seasons/ the holy days are approaching she has many more customers.

Whenever she has customers, she sells her sewn goods. She does not have money saved; However, ~$50 are coming to her turn as part of her neighborhood Komos where all contribute a small portion monthly and it goes to a given member. She used to have a bank account when her husband was alive. but when he was sick she spent all the money for the hospital and the account eventually expired. Her monthly cost of living is ~$40, which is more than her income per month, therefore, she receives piecemeal support from relatives. Her top two monthly expenses are fuel (~$2) and bread (~$9). She owes ~$40 that was loaned to her long ago and she hasn’t been able to pay it back. She isn’t being forced to pay it back. She has four other dependants other than herself.

She wants to start her own business. She went to local administrative arm (Kebele) to get a loan but was unable to get one. She asked but was unable to get a loan. Often it is difficult to get a loan because a co-signor with existing financial resources must guarantee repayment. She has kidney problems so she can’t stand for a long time.

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These snapshots help show the people we wish to share value with while in Ethiopia.